City's iconic Marina Beach gets a Blue Flag-worthy upgrade
There's something for kids, the elderly, and people with disabilities, said Vidya Ramesh, a regular visitor from Triplicane. "It looks cleaner now, but this should be maintained," she added. K Prakash, a member of the Disability Rights Alliance said he was delighed to see his son playing along with other kids in the beach. "He is a special child. He happily played along with other kids. It was delight to watch kids with disabilities in the play area," he said.
Play equipment like flat slides and flat rotor swings for special children have been installed. Although a few pieces of equipment like the special merry-go-round need to be fine-tuned for children with disability, welfare associations said it is a start towards better inclusivity.
The project, covering 20 acres in the Marina stretch under the Teynampet zone, was carried out at a cost of 7.31 crore. The newly added infrastructure at Marina Beach includes 20 bamboo shade umbrellas, 40 reclining chairs, 12 seating benches, 4 watch towers, 24 dustbins, a main archway, a meditation centre, a reading room, and 2 selfie points.
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Additional features include 12 wheelchairs for persons with disabilities, children's play equipment at 4 locations, outdoor gym equipment, and disabled-friendly sports facilities.
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A separate breastfeeding room for mothers, CCTV surveillance, a first aid centre, resting rooms, and separate toilets and showers for men, women, and people with disabilities have also been installed. A water vending machine offers clean drinking water through the Chennai metropolitan water supply and sewerage board.
To maintain cleanliness, 82 sanitation workers are deployed in shifts from 6 am to 10 pm, supported by 9 cleaning machines. Ongoing maintenance will be handled by a private contractor. "The Blue Flag certification has to go through a jury under the Ministry of Environment under the BEAMS programme," said GCC commissioner J Kumaragurubaran. "It may take three months for GCC to get the Blue Flag certification but we have meet the requirements," he said.
The wooden planks have been removed. Porta mats, a much more sustainable pathway material, have been used for pathways, he added.
Once certified, Marina will be promoted as a model for sustainable beach tourism in India, aligning with GCC's broader plan to develop similar Blue Flag beaches in Thiruvanmiyur, Palavakkam, and Uthandi.
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